Nine Years!

Well seventeen years later, we did marry.  And this Wednesday we’ll celebrate our 9th anniversary.  I am so grateful for my husband and our wonderful marriage.  He is truly one of the greatest blessings of my life!  Our marriage started off well and has only grown more wonderful as the years have gone by.  I think it’s due to a few things we did right before we married.  One was that we didn’t rush into it.  I knew after our first date that I was going to marry him, but he held me off for over a year!  It was best, though, to make sure we knew each other better.  The next thing we did right was to get some great pre-marital counseling with the pastor who married us.  We also went through a book called Saving Your Marriage Before it Starts by Les and Leslie Parrott.  That helped us identify some unspoken expectations and to voice them to prevent some problems later.  Both of us entered our marriage knowing and choosing that we would sacrifice for each other to show our love.  And we have.

My husband and I also know that we’re perfect for each other.  Others have told me (in a nice way) that they couldn’t imagine having a husband like him.  And people have told him (in a nice way) that they couldn’t imagine having a wife like me!  We truly respect each other.

I am convinced that what has allowed our marriage to grow better in the last couple of years is the book Created to Be His Helpmeet by Debi Pearl.  I have really tried to apply what I read there, and it’s made us relate to each other even better.  I would encourage every Christian woman to read it.  (Even if you aren’t married, the book could help you in relating to married family members or friends or with your future husband!)